Humans have been keeping animals as pets for tens of thousands of years, but Dr Jean-Loup Rault, an animal scientist at the University of Melbourne in Australia, believes new companions are coming: robot pets.
“Technology is moving very fast,” Rault told ABC News, “The Tamagotchi in the early 1990s was really the first robotic pet, and now Sony and other big companies have improved them a lot.”
This may not sit well with pet lovers. After all, who would choose a plastic toy over a lovely puppy? But Rault argues that the robotic kind has a lot going for it: “You don’t have to feed it, you don’t have to walk it, it won’t make a mess in your house, and you can go on a holiday without feeling guilty.” The technology also benefits those who are allergic to pets, short on space, or fearful of real animals.
It’s not clear whether robot pets can replace real ones. But studies do suggest that we can bond with these smart machines. People give their cars names and kids give their toy animals life stories. It’s the same with robots. When Sony stopped its repair service for its robot dog Aibo in March 2014, owners in Japan held funerals.
As an animal welfare researcher, Rault is concerned about how robotic pets could affect our attitudes towards live animals. “If we become used to a robotic companion that doesn’t need food, water or exercises, perhaps it will change how humans care about other living beings,” he said.
So are dogs and cats a thing of the past, as Rault predicts? For those who grew up with living and breathing pets, the mechanical kind might not do. But for our next generation who are in constant touch with smart technology, a future in which lovely pets needn’t have a heartbeat might not be a far-fetched dream.
1.What does the underlined phrase “sit well with” means?
A. be refused by B. be beneficial to
C. make a difference to D. receive support from
2.What are the advantages of robot pets?
a. They are plastic and feel smooth.
b. Owners needn’t worry about them when going out.
c. They can help cure allergies(过敏).
d. They save space and costs.
A. ab B. bc
C. bd D. cd
3.We can learn from the passage that___________.
A. Sony is the first company to produce robot pets Aibo.
B. People can develop strong bond(联系、关系) with their robot pets.
C. Rault thinks robot pets still have a long way to go.
D. Robot toys may help people care more about living beings.
4.The passage mainly tells us___________.
A. the advantages of robot toys B. the popularity of robot pets
C. living pets are dying out. D. robot pets are coming.
It is good to get in touch with your inner child from time to time，and obviously some people are willing to pay big money for the chance to do so in a proper environment．A Brooklyn-based adult preschool is charging customers between $333 and $999 for the chance to act like a kid again．
At Preschool Mastermind in New York adults get to participate in show—and—tell，arts—and—crafts such as finger paint，games like musical chairs and even take naps．The month-long course also has class picture day where the adults are expected to have a field trip and a parent day．
30-year-old Michelle Joni Lapidos，the brain behind the adult preschool，studied childhood education and has always wanted to be a preschool teacher．She’s always on the lookout for new ways to get people in touch with the freedom of childhood．A friend encouraged her to start the mastermind course instead．
According to Candice，her blogger friend，Preschool Mastermind gives adults a chance to relearn and master the things that they failed to understand as children．“I realized all the significances of what we learn in preschool，”said founder Michelle Joni，“People come here and get in touch with their inner child．It’s magical．We are bringing ourselves back to another place，another time with ourselves when we are more believing in ourselves，more confident and ready to take on the world.”
“One person’s here because they want to learn not to be so serious．”Michelle said．“Another's here to learn to be more confident.” She explained that most of the classes were planned．However，Joni added that while the planned activities were fun，it was often the spontaneous(自发的)moments that attracted students．“It’s the things you don’t plan for，the sharing between friends and learning from each other.’’
1.What is the purpose of Preschool Mastermind?
A. To give adults a chance to return to childhood．
B. To help parents understand their children better．
C. To provide practical training courses for teachers．
D. To introduce some ways of playing with children．
2.What is mainly discussed about Preschool Mastermind in Paragraph 2 ?
A. Its customers． B. Its activities．
C. Its environment． D. Its schedule.
3.According to Candice，people come to this program to________.
A. enjoy freedom of thinking B. realize their childhood dreams
C. discover their inner abilities D. figure out childhood puzzles
4.What do we know about Michelle Joni?
A. She used to be a preschool teacher．
B. She likes to make plans in advance．
C. She founded Preschool Mastermind．
D. She gained confidence by sharing．
Suddenly another thought went through Kate’s mind like an electric shock. An express train was due to go past about thirty minutes later. If it were not stopped, that long train, full of passengers, would fall into the stream. “Someone must go to the station and warn the station-master，” Kate thought. But who was to go? She would have to go herself. There was no one else.
In wind and rain she started on her difficult way. Soon she was at the bridge that crossed the Des Moines River, a bridge also built of wood, just like the bridge across Honey Creek. The storm had not washed this away, but there was no footpath across it. She would have to cross it by stepping from sleeper (枕木)to sleeper. With great care she began the dangerous crossing, sometimes on her hands and knees, hardly daring to look down between the sleepers into the wild flood waters below. If she should slip, she would fall between the sleepers, into the rapidly flowing stream.
At last -- she never knew how long it had taken her- - she felt solid ground under her feet. But there was no time to rest. She still had to run more than half a mile and had only a few minutes left. Unless she reached the station before the express did, many, many lives would be lost.
She did reach the station just as the train came into sight. Fortunately the station-master was standing outside. “The bridge is down! Stop the train! Oh, please stop it!” Kate shouted breathlessly.
The station-master went pale. He rushed into the station building and came back with a signal light. He waved the red light as the train came into the station. It was not a second too early.
1.What did Kate decide to do?
A. Stop the express train. B. Check the signal light.
C. Meet the passengers. D. Visit the station-master
2.Which of the following words best describes Kate’s journey
A. Fruitless. B. Boring.
C. Well-planned. D. Risky.
3.Why did the station-master turn pale?
A. He suddenly fell ill. B. He realized the danger.
C. He discovered his mistake. D. He became over-excited.
假定你校将举行一个成人仪式，你将作为代表在仪式上发言。请你按以下内容要点准备一篇英文发言稿。
1.过去对成年的向往； 2.现在的感受和认识； 3.将来的目标及措施。
参考词汇：（责任 responsibility）注意：1.词数100左右；2.可以适当增加细节，使行文连贯；3.发言稿的开头与结束语已为你写好（不计入总词数）
Good morning，everyone！_____________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下短文。短文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Recently,as the development of the Internet,there is a kind of language calling the Web Language.The other day our class have a discussion about if we should welcome the Web Language.Forty percent of students think it ridiculous.In their opinions,it does no good to helping people communicating,nor is it useful for learning English Besides,it'll make Chinese more standard,finally ruining our mother tongue.However,60% of our class are fond of it.They think it simple,convenient and helpful in expressing them.Personally,I think it's not a good habit to use the Web Language.It may be popular,but you may also make yourself be misunderstood.
You might have seen this in US TV dramas.A group of girls knock on people's doors,trying to sell cookies.What are they doing?They are Amercican Scouts（女童子军）,and1.(sell) cookies is a tradition of2.(they).
Selling cookies is just one activity among all the fun things that Girl Scouts do.The Girl Scouts of the USA is a group3.(found) in 1912.It offers all kinds of activities to girls and lets them learn skills.
Boys can be scouts too.4.they join a different group called the Boy Scouts of America (RSA),5.was founded in 1910.
Now there are 1.9 million Girl Scouts in the US,according to the group,Usually,they go6.(camp) and learn how to build fires and use a compass.Sometimes they also stay7.(indoor) doing crafts or learning arts.Every time they do an activity or pass a test,they get a badge.
The Boy Scouts love to win the badges too.They have a ranking system.And winning enough badges is 8. must to get into a9.(high) rank.The highest rank is "Eagle",which10.(require) at least 21 badges.Neil Armstrong the first man on the moon,and Bill Gates,the father of Microft,were both Eagle Scouts when they were young.
